Tbilisi activists announce daily actions in support of Mukhtarly

Actions in support of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarly will be held every day, protesters said in Tbilisi. According to their version, Georgian authorities must clearly answer the question of who was involved in journalist's kidnapping – Georgian special agents or criminals.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that activists gathered today at the building of the State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia for a rally in support of the oppositional journalist Afghan Mukhtarly. In his turn, Giorgi Mgebrishvili, the Georgian Interior Minister, has excluded any law enforcers' participation in kidnapping Mukhtarly.

In the opinion of Sulkhan Saladze, an activist of the NGO "Association of Young Lawyers", Georgian authorities must answer whether it is safe for oppositional journalists, rights defenders and NGO activists to stay in the country.

He also drew attention to the fact that Georgian authorities should explain how Mukhtarly "could cross the state border without his passport that is kept by his wife in Tbilisi."

In his turn, Lasha Tugushi, the editor-in-chief of the Georgian newspaper "Rezonansi", believes that the authorities "must take diplomatic steps to resolve the situation with Mukhtarly and conduct a prompt investigation."

Meanwhile, Zurab Japaridze, the leader of the oppositional "Girchi" Party, has stated that in Georgia "there is a threat for other Azerbaijani journalists."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.